Jewellery designer turns talents to helping wildlife (From Dorset Echo)

Jewellery designer turns talents to helping wildlife

12:10pm Thursday 4th December 2008 in News

A DORSET tiara and jewellery designer has found a way to help her local marine wildlife.

Portland based Andrea Frankham-Hughes was alerted about threats to precious British corals when she found pink sea fan skeletons washed up on Chesil Beach.

Andrea said: “I only live five minutes’ walk from Chesil Beach and have seen the impact of rubbish, oil, fishing and dredging first hand.

“I have been saddened by what I find from oiled birds to dead dolphins and coral.”

Last year she read an article about Dorset Wildlife Trust and decided to donate some of her takings to marine conservation. Andrea was inspired for her latest tiara collection by the shapes of the corals and decided to donate 10 per cent of her takings during Dorset Art Weeks to the Trust, giving them a £150 cheque at her new shop, Jezebel’s Jewels in Weymouth. She also pledged 10 per cent of future sales of ornamental birds to continue to support the Trust’s conservation work.

Andrea said: “I would like to thank all the visitors to Dorset Art Weeks who contributed. People were very positive about the money going to the Trust and why.

“Many hadn’t heard of the pink sea fan and this has helped to raise awareness.”